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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — a short time
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stock — goods
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chip — for betting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com